Forum - View topicMinami-ke / Okawari / Okaeri.
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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Minami-ke (Season 1)
Minami-ke: Okawari (Season 2) Minami-ke: Okaeri (Season 3) I did a search on the term "Minami-ke" here and drew a blank. Which is odd because I know several people, including myself, have mentioned both of the series in the "What are you watching now"(sic) thread. Yes, I was searching for a thread on this "franchise". Anyways... Here goes nothing. The set-up for the series is relatively simple: the three Minami sisters live together in an apartment (without any apparent parent or guardian supervision). Why things are that way is not explained. You have: Haruka, the oldest - a senior high school student - with the mother hen role. Kana, the middle child - a junior high school student - as the ditzy, albeit somewhat thick, noisy classic middle child. And Chiaki, the youngest one - a 5th grader - who is as acidic and cutting as any "gifted" brainy child can be (hint: she doesn't suffer fools lightly). The rest of the situation is summed up best with this line in the ANN encyclopedia entry for the source manga: "With nobody to answer to but themselves and each other, the three sisters get up to some very odd shenanigans". For me the charm point of this series is that it can keep me laughing. The jokes might take a bit to get set up but they generally work well. With the second "Okawari" series the shows are being built up around classic sitcom structures. Example: Bored on New Years? Get an older relative to take some friends and the sisters to an onsen (yes, Haruka can't read maps to save herself). This isn't a bad thing since the main and secondary characters have been built up from the first season so now the writers get to have fun and the episodes don't seem as randomly assembled as before. Visually the two series retain the same character designs but the artwork is significantly different with the switch in animation production for Doumu to asread. The colour palette in the first season is comparatively lighter than that used in the second one. The slightly disconcerting element in the second series is where they have all the background characters in "kuro-ko" style. They're drawn out in full except their faces are blacked out. Whether or not their facial features show depends on their level of interaction with the primary characters. They still carry on with the switching to closeups of faces drawn in "real" style to accentuate dialogue. But I do miss the cheery OP song from the first season though. The OP animation for the second series is pretty neat as it swings from the weird and fantastic to silly and back again. Oh yeah, there are is at least one point in "Okawari" where I went "Huh?" and that's the bit where Kana didn't recognize Makoto. Heck, the "Mako-chan" incognito role for him was her idea in the first place wasn't it. So I've probably rambled on to no good effect but it's done now. I figure it's a small group who have followed and enjoyed these two series to date. But I think in a small way at least this franchise deserves a thread of its own. For me it's a welcome form of comic relief. This is light fare that doesn't pretend to be anything but that. We're not talking scathing satire (I didn't make it past the first episode of the original UK version of "The Office" because it was just too much like the company where I work) or loads of acidic wit ("Blackadder" anyone?). Just sit back and watch the silliness unwind. Postscript: I'm trying to promise myself that the first season of Minami-ke is the last anime series I'm going to buy on R2 DVDs. But it might not be the case as 1) CLANNAD will be 8 DVDs with the last one coming out in July, 2) it looks like it's going to be just 4 DVDs for Minami-ke with the last one out in April and 3) I may get hooked on "Minami-ke Okawari" enough to buy it too. [EDIT: Added Encyc. links and the topic itself to the All Discussions thread. -TK] Last edited by d.yaro on Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:15 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Aromatic Grass
 Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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Funny thing is, I made mention of the lack of a Minami-ke discussion thread today under that very same thread you mentioned above. All I have to say is thanks for finally making one! My overall opinion on the first season: Minami-ke is a very well done anime with clean art and decent humor. Thing is, I wasn't drawn in by the humor at all; something else about the show must have grabbed me because I didn't find myself laughing out loud all too much. It's not that the humor was bad, as I smiled and chuckled quite a few times, because I still found Minami-ke to be a good show. It just seems to lean more on slice-of-life rather than comedy for me. And although it was hard to tell the difference between some characters, I found quite a few that I could get attached to -- mainly Hosaka. Who doesn't love that guy? All-in-all, I'll say it was a successful first run that earned a huge chunk of fandom. The only problems I had were 1) it spent too much time on one joke and 2) the ending wasn't as climatic as it should have been. While I know Okawari is a continuation, I still feel that it could have made a more "complete" ending. (Gotta love that last scene with Hosaka, though!) My first impression of the second season: At first, I was a little worried about Minami-ke: Okawari because of many reasons -- different studio, different art, etc. But as it turns out, I'm actually more into Okawari than I was the last season. The color palette is indeed much darker, which doesn't really fit the mood and BGM, but there's still something about it that catches my eye. There's a certain "clearness" in the eyes and hair that pops out that I like, though the biggest difference is that I have a MUCH easier time telling the characters apart. Not only that, but I'm more interested in all of the characters this time. (Though I agree that the "kuro-ko" thing you mentioned is a little off...) I feel that I'm in the minority for liking the second season better, but this time I actually laugh more and pay attention to the little details. Like I said, the characters work for me this time, the animation looks better, and I like Chiaki a lot more this time -- redesign and all. Can't wait to finish it now as long as it holds up to my current impression and makes a great end. Thanks again for the thread, d.yaro! 
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Skys
 Posts: 101 Location: Minnesota |
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I've heard reference to this anime here and there, but I never actually got around to watching it. I figured in spirit of a thread being created I would go check it out. After watching the first three episodes I have to say that I am liking it a lot. I'm a little bit the opposite of Aromatic Grass being that I was drawn into it initially due to the humor. I have to say I do enjoy slice of life animes, but I think they would be really lacking without some amount of humor. Imagine what Honey and Clover would be like without Morita. Anyway, so far I am really enjoying watching the jokes play out in this show. I think Kana is a really great comic relief character as well. Overall, it is well made and a nice easy going show to watch.
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Zalis116
Moderator
 Posts: 6902 Location: Kazune City |
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How does this series stack up to Strawberry Marshmallow? The premises and setups seem similar to me, and since I enjoyed Strawberry Marshmallow, I've been interested in Minami-ke as well. (I'm awaiting its completion by a decent fansub group, though.)
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LuckySleven
 Posts: 426 Location: Refer to page 2 |
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My thoughts for Minami-ke is that it was well done for a slice-of-life that lacked here and there but it made up for it here and there with humor. Especially with the parts of the lovable dimwitted Hosaka. As well I enjoyed the few gender-bender moments that I just can resist from loving. What also attracted me to the series is the characteristics of the 3 Minami sisters; it did have that sense of realism of a true 3 sibling family. On top of that they also included in the show another family with the same name which did gave me a few laughs. I almost had the same experiences as they did. Though the ending of the first season should have had more of a conclusion but did just as well with that epic Hosaka ending.
I can't say too much about Okawari. Though the animation by this new studio does draw more of one's attention compared to the light colored first season. The OP seems more dramatic with its urban steel look compared to the happy melodic OP of the first season. The first two episodes were good but I would just like to say, "Needs more Hosaka." |
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CloverKuroba
 Posts: 506 |
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I very much enjoyed Minami-Ke. It harkened back to Azumanga Daioh and Strawberry Marshmallow sensibilities with it's "slice of life" style of humor as well as observational and situational humor. I really loved the cast of characters; the Minami sisters actually did seem like a real family. I loved how they all were very quirky in a way, it made them appear more charming, yet dysfunctional. I especially loved Kana and Chiaki, and I always found their banter and scenes together hilarious. I'm also a Hosaka fan.
 He's hysterical. And you can't help but feel bad for Fujioka-kun as well. It's funny, as I don't really find myself laughing at anime comedies as much as I smile at them. However, I found myself laughing a lot in Minami-ke. It was a really wonderful show.
As for the 2nd season, I haven't seen it yet. The radical change in character design kind of turned me off, but I'll check it out eventually. |
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iggentleman
 Posts: 33 Location: Virginia |
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Enjoyed the first season very much.
Enjoying the second season (just watched the 3rd episode this morning) Hadn't realized there had been a change in production. I'd noticed that the look was slightly different, but I don't have a problem with what they are doing. The characters and the writing quality seem to be consistent and good. Yesterday we had the first of what will be regular anime viewing parties. We showed a selection of first episodes of things most people there hadn't seen. Everyone liked Minami-ke and would want to see more. (One of my younger sisters was there, and we both laughed at the family interactions. She's the middle sister and didn't want to be likened to Kana, although I can see some resemblance) |
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selenta
 Subscriber Posts: 1774 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Wow, if I had noticed there was no Minami-ke thread, I would have made it a long time ago. Minami-ke was my absolute favorite show of last season, and Okawari looks like it'll hold that distinction again this season.
Here's what I wrote about the first season:
The second season seems like more of the same, only with a more distinct art style. I really like the new art style, and all the character designs are really appealing. When my two biggest complaints about the show are the sparsity of Hosaka and Banchou's character design in Okawari, it probably wouldn't be inaccurate to call me a huge fanboy of this show. It also pleased me greatly that Minami-ke's first DVD was number 3 last week. I'm glad it's as popular in Japan as it is in our anime club. Last edited by selenta on Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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TheAnimeJudge
 Posts: 85 Location: WORST TOPIC MAKER =D in Chicago! |
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Minami-ke was really good overall, the first season gave me a good laugh once in a while xD, so random and energetic, it's an anime you'd like to catch once in a while.
But... Okawari the second season seems to be just a little less of what the first season was... :\, i mean everything is the same besides the Director is new, and the animeation ahs taken a whole new style instead of the original, basically i think with the new animation, it's a little less funny... hmm idk tis just me, i'm sure alot of people still love Minami no matter, but atleast the voices are the same. I hope it keeps its generic and funny style and situationing xD |
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Aromatic Grass
Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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Just watched episode four of Okawari.
Saturday cleaning. This episode seemed a little more serious, but mostly because of spoiler[Fuyuki. Apparently, he can't turn someone down if they ask something of him. Poor kid clearly dislikes doing all that work. And it seems Haruka has mistaken this as his love for doing chores, and she forces Kana and Chiaki into a corner.] Hosaka's cleaning scene was hilarious. I loved everyone's antics and am glad that Okawari's episodes focus on a single topics instead of having many things happening per episode. |
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Clodus
 Posts: 497 Location: Kansas |
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oh man I'm glad I picked up this series! Its good to see everyone thought Hosaka was hilarious as I did. Especially Episode 8 spoiler[where he starts stripping naked while lost in thought. And then Hosaka starts cooking food in midair while the other students were like what the hell is he doing?!] so funny!
I've only seen the first episode of Okawari so I don't have a solid stance yet but the first episode was dam interesting. My favorite character is definately Kana, I think without her, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting. |
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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I made the slight mistake of showing my sister the first episode of Minami-ke off the raw R2 DVD (no English subtitles man!). Given that her Japanese isn't at my level most of the jokes went 747 straight over her head.
Actually on that DVD the extra is a taping of a promotional event for the show where they had on stage the seiyu who played the three sisters and the ones who played Hosaka and Fujioka. There was one part where they cast members had to say who they thought was most like the character they voiced. The "winner": the guy who plays Hosaka! Of course he obliged the audience by loosening up his shirt a bit. 
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Aromatic Grass
Posts: 2424 Location: Raleigh, NC |
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You should NOT be saying that here! *drools* Anyway... episode five was very good and as funny as ever. Like I said, I'm really liking Okawari a lot better than the first season. Fujioka (the bear) is involved a lot more, in this episode spoiler[as a samurai in a dramatic movie.] Chiaki is so much easier to like. It looks like we'll see more of her and spoiler[Fuyuki] next time. |
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d.yaro
Posts: 528 |
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Hmmm.... Thinks about the situation a bit and wonders if a screen shot would be worth it.
Anyways. Back to our regular programming... Episode 5 was a true charmer. Kana and Chiaki end up in cahoots trying to cover up another one of Kana's misdeeds - spoiler[this time involving a glass rabbit pendant Haruka had put aside which the two younger siblings break.] The episode had the right balance of zaniness spoiler[(the situation spinning out of control with Kana trying to make things right by phoning everyone with orders to find an "usagi" (rabbit), or in Fujioka's case "unagi" (eels) thanks to a bad cell phone connection.)] and pathos spoiler[(Kana heading out to the shops on her own to try to make things right and coming home to face the music with Haruka - and the rest of the gang at her door with what they thought they had heard Kana ask them to get.)]. They worked in pretty well all the characters to good effect (Though come to think of it Touma's brothers have yet to make an appearance in "Okawari"). |
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RedTigerWolf
 Posts: 19 |
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Minami-ke was very interesting. Funny, light-hearted comedy and everyone was drawn very nicely.
Minami-ke: Okawari on the other hand is a complete piece of trash compared to the first season. Even though it is done by another studio, the character designs are completely different from season 1. The characters in Okawari are colored and drawn a lot more unrealistically. They go from having black and brown hair in season one to having green/blue and yellow hair in season 2. Eye color is also super accentuated upon with super colored eyes. Another noticeable difference is Chiaki's large Ahoge goes from being full of life in season 1 to being a lopsided mess in season 2. Not only are the characters designs surprisingly different, but the animation is not even subpar. There were a lot animation inconsistencies that I counted in just the first episode of season 2. A few of them being the opening where Kana has ragdoll popping joints in the opening sequence. Another one that I almost missed was when Fujioka opens the bath door and sees here naked, it pans to her face and then when it's back to the previous scene she "magically" has a towel around her waste. (If you don't believe me, I'll provide screenshots.) Apart from the animation inconsistencies they couldn't even meet up with previous studio's art and had to "black out" every single person that isn't considered important to the show. (Face/hands/feet, basically any skin is blacked out.) This may be a matter of taste, but even the sequences in the show aren't as good as season 1. The comedy is fairly dry compared to season 1. That last part is of my own opinion, I truly think that the story just isn't the same compared to the original season. As for the animation that I critiqued it's very true. You can say what you want, but Season 2's animation is VERY different from Season 1. I can strongly say that this is a VERY DIFFERENT show entirely. I don't understand how half of you guys can even stand watching Okawari if you liked season 1. (Season 2 of Minami-ke is just like Season 2 of Gunslinger Girls, a disaster.) |
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